(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a powder recovery container and an image forming apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
In an image forming apparatus, such as an electrophotographic copier or a laser beam printer, a toner image developed on a photoconductor drum is transferred on a recording sheet, and then a cleaner removes a remaining toner adhering to the photoconductor drum. The removed remaining toner is recovered as a waste toner (a used powder) in a waste-toner recovery box (a powder recovery container) in the image forming apparatus.
In recent years, there is a color image forming apparatus that obtains a color image such that toner images with plural colors formed by plural image forming engines are first transferred from photoconductor drums onto an intermediate transfer belt, and then are second transferred from the intermediate transfer belt onto a recording sheet. In the case of the color image forming apparatus, the photoconductor drums and cleaners that clean the photoconductor drums are provided respectively for, for example, image forming engines of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. Waste toners have to be recovered from the cleaners of the four image forming engines. After the toner image is second transferred from the intermediate transfer belt onto the recording sheet, a remaining toner adhering to the intermediate transfer belt has to be cleaned. A cleaner is also provided for the intermediate transfer belt. Thus, in the case of the color image forming apparatus, the waste toners from the plural cleaners are recovered in the waste-toner recovery box.
The waste-toner recovery box is an expendable supply. When the waste-toner recovery box is full, the waste-toner recovery box is typically replaced with an empty waste-toner recovery box.